WHAT IS PASS THE BOOK? PASS THE BOOK was initiated in November of 2004 by a couple of ravenous readers who were looking to do something productive with their books rather than let them lie dormant after a single read. We found the idea of releasing books into the wild via bookcrossing.com appealing, but were annoyed when the released books remained wild, perhaps -- who knew? -- packed away in some Great Lost and Found where they would never be looked upon again by the eyes of man. We thought we'd do something less formal, passing books among friends to form a chain of readers that would delight six-degrees-of-separation-obsessed folk. (Surely one day your copy of The DaVinci Code will end up in the hands of the Dalai Llama!) Feel free to start your own reading chains. You'll find directions below for creating your own PASS THE BOOK books.

COMMENTS

Feel free to comment here on your own pass-the-book experiences:

WANT TO CREATE A PASS THE BOOK BOOK? Print out these directions and affix them to the book of your choice. Create a READER LIST (as described in the directions) somewhere in the book.
(Make sure to provide your address in the reader list if you'd like the book to be
returned to you eventually.) Then pass the book!

Gypsi Phillips Bates, having not yet written a book, spends her days reading (or at least wishing she were) and reviewing said reads; she is the mother of two fish, two hamsters, and three cats, step-Mom to a Butterfly Girl and wife of her Best Friend.

OTHER IDEAS. In addition to passing the book, there are a number of other interesting things you can do with your used books. I've already mentioned bookcrossing.com. Bookins.com provides people with an elegant means of trading books with one another, at minimal cost. And the folks at Operation Paperback will help you ship your books off to service members.